Old Fashioned Macaroni Salad

This is  a repost from last year. I have had a few people email me about this recipe this week alone, so I thought I would share it with my newer readers. It is a great  recipe.

We were invited to a party last night and my husband asked me to fix a side dish. Since I knew they were having hot dogs and hamburgers, I decided to make a macaroni salad. I always  get nervous when I make food for people.I  am always fearful that they might think my food is gross and I will leave with as much food as I came with. thankfully, last night I came home with an empty bowl.This salad is so easy to make. It is a sweet salad, but tastes so good when it is cold and the flavors have melded for a few hours. I do not think it is as good right after making it. So plan ahead and refrigerate it for awhile before serving it. I promise it gets better as it sits. You can add and omit as well. Although I would leave in the celery and onion. I leave out the peppers if I do not have any (as in this picture), just as long as I have the onion, celery and egg. And it is kid friendly as well. I think  they like it because it has such a sweet taste too it. As we left the party last night, I received a few compliments on it. I hope you do as well.

PICNIC MACARONI SALAD

• 1 box uncooked macaroni
•  4 hard boiled eggs, chopped 
• 1/2 cup  celery, chopped
• 1/2 cup  onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup red pepper, chopped
•  1 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
• 1/4 cup white vinegar
• 1/3 cup sugar

Directions : Cook and drain macaroni. Cool. Add eggs, celery, peppers and onion. Mix mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, and sugar thoroughly, then add to macaroni mixture. Chill well .

Simple Garlic Sesame Noodles

One of the easiest  , quickest meals to make for lunch are these  simple garlic noodles. While the noodles are cooking you make the sauce , which is just mixing the ingredients in a bowl . Then cook the onions and garlic in a skillet and mix everything together. You can add a protein like chicken or shrimp for a heartier more filling dish. If I have leftovers from the night before I will add them, but I prefer them as is. I make these often for myself and my 19 year old before he heads to work.
You can find oyster sauce and sesame oil in the Asian food section of the grocery store.

Simple Garlic Noodles
Ingredients
8 oz spaghetti pasta
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
6 green onions, thinly sliced
4 T butter
2 tsp low sodium soy sauce
2 T light brown sugar
1 tsp sesame oil
2 T oyster sauce

Directions
1.Cook the spaghetti according to package directions. drain and set aside.
2.In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil and oyster sauce. Mix well and set aside.
3.In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium low heat. When the butter is melted, add the garlic and green onion. cook for @2 minutes, until they are soft and fragrant.
4.Add the pasta and the sauce to the skillet and mix well to incorporate the sauce and the garlic and onions.
5. Garnish with extra green onion . These can be served warm or cold.

Nana's Spaghetti Sauce

This recipe is my nana's ground beef spaghetti sauce. Spaghetti sauce is a  food that everyone seems to have their versions of. This is the best spaghetti sauce that I have ever tasted. Everyone that has tasted it has enjoyed it and gone back for seconds. I do  make a double batch and freeze the leftovers for busy weeknights. Serve with a salad and big, crusty bread and you have a complete meal. This recipe calls for ground beef but you can certainly lighten it up with ground turkey.And please don't leave out the Heinz 57 sauce. It is crucial to the outcome. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

                               Homestyle Spaghetti Sauce

Ingredients

3 lbs ground beef

1 large onion, diced

1 green pepper, diced

2 (15 ounce) cans tomato sauce

1/2 teaspoon onion powder 

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon garlic salt

1 teaspoon oregano

1 tablespoon ketchup

1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon Heinz 57 steak sauce

1 teaspoon italian seasoning

Directions

Brown onion and green pepper in a large skillet in a small amount of oil.

Add ground beef to the onion and green peppers; cook until brown.

Carefully drain the hamburger mixture and return to the skillet.

Add the tomato sauce, onion salt, salt, garlic salt, oregano, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, Heinz 57 and Italian seasoning.

Stir well and simmer on low heat for 2-3 hours.

Serve over your favorite pasta with garlic bread and a salad.

Mexican Stuffed Shells

This is one of those recipes that take a short amount of time to make, yet it has the flavors that most everyone enjoys. Especially kids. Think taco pasta cups. The thing I love about this particular recipe is that I can make the individual toppings that make both kids and parents happy. Usually my kids load their shells with lots of cheese and sour cream. But I always dice a red onion and let it sit in lime juice for about 15 minutes, chop up a small bunch of cilantro and avocado for the adults. I served these shells with a cumin spiced black bean and corn salad, which I added to my shells before adding the sour cream. Super yummy meal to make on a weeknight.

Mexican Stuffed Shells

Ingredients
1 box jumbo pasta shells
1-2 T butter
1.5 lbs lean ground beef, turkey or chicken
2T taco seasoning ( I use Penzey's)
3 oz  cream cheese ( I use reduced fat)
1 c salsa
1 c shredded cheddar cheese
1 c shredded hot pepper jack cheese
1.5 cups tortilla chips, crushed ( I use tortilla strips)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350*. Cook the pasta shells according to the package directions.Drain shells, gently toss in butter and set aside.

In a large skillet, brown the meat, turkey  or chicken. Season with the 2T taco seasoning. Stir in the cream cheese until well blended. Let the meat mixture simmer on low for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Fill each shell with meat mixture and set in a lightly greased casserole dish. (9 x 13 ). Spoon the salsa over the shells and top with the cheese and tortilla chips. Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes, until cheese is melted and the meat is warmed through. Serve with sour cream, onions, lettuce;or any other taco toppings you prefer.

Chicken Pot Pie Pasta

This past week was a very hectic one. I made a menu plan, but did not make all of the dishes that I had planned. Either I was too lazy, my kids had a special request , or we just wanted something easy.  This dinner was created out of laziness. I really did not want to slave in the kitchen . I had done laundry all day and had no desire to try something adventurous. I had a refrigerator of this and that  left over from the past few days and I decided on a chicken pot pie. But then I realized I would have to make , from scratch, the pie crust. NOT. So I came up with the idea of making the filling and serving it over pasta. Hello... where have I been that I did not think of this sooner? My kids and husband inhaled it. Smooth, creamy chicken and vegetable filling over warm pasta. I think I will probably be making this dish more than the actual pie. And  you can add and subtract different vegetables you have on hand. I had leftover green beans, and no frozen corn, so I changed it up. And I added half of a sliced red pepper that needed to be eaten, as well as a handful of broccoli florets. Be creative.

CHICKEN POT PIE PASTA

1 box pasta of choice( I chose farfelle)
1 T butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup diced onions
2/3 cup diced carrots
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 c chicken broth
2/3 c frozen peas
2/3 cup frozen corn ( i subbed green beans, broccoli and red pepper)
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup flour
2 cups cooked chicken, cubed

1.In a large pan, boil the pasta until al dente. Drain . Set aside and keep warm.
2.In a medium saucepan, combine butter,garlic,onion,carrots, salt ,pepper and chicken broth. Bring to a boil and simmer until carrots are tender.
3.When carrots are tender, add peas and corn and simmer about 5 more minutes. In a measuring cup or small bow, whisk together the milk and the flour.
4.Add the milk mixture to the vegetable mixture and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.Boil until thickened, about a minute or so.Add the chicken and stir. Reduce heat to medium and let the chicken warm, about 1-2 minutes.
5. Place pasta on a serving platter and top with chicken mixture. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Chicken Enchilada Pasta

One thing  I know for sure is that my family will eat pasta. Any  kind of pasta. So when  I  have not planned dinner and need to get food on the table in a hurry, I usually end up making some sort of pasta dish. This is an easy dish to prepare and it is so good. You can add any  type pasta you have on hand. I usually use penne or rotini  for this dish. You can also add other veggies , like black beans, to it to stretch it or make it heartier. Spice it up by adding chili powder or Rotel  tomatoes. If you use a rotisserie chicken, you can save even more time.So many different things you can do to make it your own. I  usually make a salad and it is a  great meal.

Chicken Enchilada Pasta

Ingredients
12 oz pasta (your choice)
3 cups cooked chicken (diced or shredded)
1/2 cup onion,diced
1 cup frozen corn,thawed
1 8oz can tomato sauce
2 cups mild  red enchilada sauce
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp garlic powder
salt, to taste
2 cups shredded cheese (cheddar or monterey jack)
1 T chopped fresh green onions

Directions
1.Preheat oven to 250 degrees and lightly grease a 13 x  9 baking dish
2.Cook pasta al dente and drain. Set aside.
3.In a large  bowl, mix the pasta, chicken,onions,tomatoes,tomato sauce, enchilada sauce ,cumin and garlic powder  until thoroughly  mixed.
4.Pour into the baking dish  and sprinkle with cheese, then the cilantro
5. Bake at 350 degrees, uncovered, for about 20 minutes, to heat through and melt the cheese.
6. Top with extra cheese and green onions.

Sweet Corn Pasta

Since the weather is warmer and we really do not want to heat the kitchen up or fuss with long  recipes, I have a few summer pasta dishes that are full of flavor with a few short steps  for preparation. This recipe is one of my favorites. I love sweet corn and this dish showcases it perfectly. The lemon gives it a fresh flavor that is great for warmer weather. Don't skimp on the fresh parmesan cheese. It enhances the dish and  gives it a layer you don't want to miss. I use organic whole wheat pasta , lemons and garlic. The parsley and basil are fresh from the garden. This pasta would be great for a picnic lunch as well.

Summer Sweet Corn Pasta

1 lb spaghetti pasta

2 c cooked sweet corn kernel

1 c small grape tomatoes, cut in half

1/4 c chopped fresh basil

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1/4 cup olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 T fresh lemon juice

scant 1 T lemon zest

salt & pepper, to taste

1  to 1 1/2 cups grated parmesan cheese 

In a large bowl, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest , basil and parsley . Mix well. Add the corn kernels

 and the tomatoes. Stir until mixed thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

In a large pot, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain the pasta and return it to a large serving bowl.

Pour the corn mixture over the pasta. Mix together. Top with lots of fresh parmesan cheese.

Fried Cabbage & Noodles (Haluski)

One of my family's favorite meatless dishes is fried cabbage and noodles. People here in the Pittsburgh area call it halushki and it is so good. It Is a staple on our table on cooler nights. Easy to make, cheap to make and easy to eat! If I have leftover ham or chicken I will toss it in with the noodles, but I prefer it with no meat. Enjoy.


HALUSKI

INGREDIENTS

• 4 cups wide egg noodles
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 cups sliced sweet onion 
• 2 teaspoons brown sugar
• 6 cups  cabbage, shredded
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• pepper

DIRECTIONS

Cook egg noodles according to package directions, then drizzle with a bit of oil to prevent the noodles from sticking together and set aside.

1. While noodles are cooking, melt butter in large deep skillet over medium-low heat.
2. Add onion, sprinkle with brown sugar and saute, stirring occasionally for about 5 to 10 minutes, or until softened and just beginning to turn golden.
3. Add cabbage to skillet, stirring well to incorporate with onion, and saute for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4.  cover, reduce heat to low, and let simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.
5. Turn heat back to medium, add cooked noodles, salt and pepper, and stir well until noodles are heated though.
6. Adjust seasoning if necessary and serve hot.